Captain Swan - On the Virge

Part 8/10

When Emma got to the airport, the flights were all booked up until Friday, the following day at five o'clock. She checked her phone to get the event information, finding out that the awards show was held at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. And it didn't start until nine o'clock, so she had some time. She would at least get to see him win his award, which she knew that he would. After she bought a ticket, she went home and took a shower, calling Ruby after she got into her pajamas, explaining everything.

The next evening, she got onto the plane to Vegas and, thankfully, the flight left as planned. She was dressed comfortably in jeans, a sweater and a beanie, which apparently was a mistake. She took a taxi to the event and when she arrived just in time for the show to start, she went inside the lobby and was promptly stopped by the bouncer.

"Got any ID?" the large, bald-headed man asked her.

"Yeah." Emma riffled through her purse and pulled out her drivers license, thinking he was just checking her age to make sure she was over eighteen.

The man shook his head. "Company ID. Wicked, Vivid...?"

"Grind... well, not anymore."

"Can't let you in without an ID, sweet-tits," he said and at the same time, he let two women through, who were dressed in scandalous dresses. "Can't do it."

Emma let out an exasperated sigh as she turned around and headed into the restroom. As soon as she came through the door, she saw Bliss standing in front of the mirror, adjusting her black dress.

Emma stopped in her tracks to greet her. "Hi."

"About time," Bliss replied, catching Emma's reflection in the mirror as she put on red lipstick. "You better get in there or you're going to miss Killian's big speech."

"They won't let me in."

"Really?" Bliss raised a mischievous brow as if conspiring something in her head.

Killian walked down the red carpet, camera lights flashing as he smiled politely, with porn-stars on each arm as they posed for pictures. As he made his way inside, his mind drifted to Emma, wishing he could have made it to her movie premiere, but it was probably better that he didn't. Seeing her would just rekindle feelings and he couldn't be with someone who was ashamed of him, like Milah was. He couldn't go down that road again.

He took a seat in between Will and Tina at one of the tables as they smiled at him, Smee, Merlin and Zelena joining them. They chatted as Regina and another film-maker took the stage to announce the awards and when they called off the nominees for best director, everyone wished him luck.

Killian's stomach was in knots, but not because he was nervous about the award; he had already won this thing four times already. He was nervous because he had made a decision over the last few months and was prepared to tell everyone during his speech if he won.

"... And the nominee for the fifth time in a row, Killian Jones for Finding Bliss... a film you can actually wack off to at an art-house theater near you."

Regina opened the envelope, pulling out the name of the winner. She smiled as she held her hand to her chest. "And the winner is... Killian Jones!"

Tina hugged him and everyone at the table congratulated him before he stood up, smiling and walked to the stage. Regina hugged him and kissed him on the cheek, handing him his award before he approached the podium.

"Wow. Thank you so much. It's always an honor to be up here. I'd like to start by thanking all of the hard-working people at Grind. Especially Regina Mills, who is a dear friend." Killian let a long breath as he ran his hand through his hair. "And I would like to thank the industry... for the last time." Everyone from Grind looked at him in shock as he continued. "Sadly, this will be my last year at Grind. It's time for me to move on. But before I do, I'd like to give a special thanks to a very special woman... the star of my movie. The one... the only... Bliss," he announced as he gestured towards the left stage.